Ryu Hayabusa
' is a video game character who stars in the Ninja Gaiden series of video games and appears in the Dead or Alive fighting game series, all developed by Team Ninja. Personality Ryu has the demeanor and wisdom of a man far older than himself, due to his prolific lineage and mantle of station as a respected ninja. His exploits have given him an attitude far removed from most others, and he understands things in more abstract and philosophical terms. Much like Gen Fu and Eliot (Dead or Alive), he adopts a tranquil nature, much akin to water; free flowing most of the time, but unforgiving and crushing when roused. Through the Dead or Alive tournament, he has extricated himself from many of the subplots involving other characters, concentrating instead purely on the larger goals that present themselves. He is Hayate's best friend and an ally of Kasumi and Ayane. He and his ninja brethren have been direct players in the defeat of every major threat in the D.O.A. tournaments, himself defeating the rogue Tengu in single combat during the second tournament. Ryu has befriended several people from the DOA tournaments, notably Jann Lee, who he shares a mutual respect with. In Ninja Gaiden, Ryu is acquainted with female protagonists like Rachel and Irene. On the other hand, Ryu has been betrayed by some of his allies such as Foster (NG III: The Ancient Ship of Doom) and Murai (NG Xbox). In Ninja Gaiden his personality is explored futher and though Ryu Hayabusa is a silent protagonist and for that matter acts more than he speaks, several of his actions reveals more than his pride as a ninja shows at first, as a wise leader he explains to Murai the dark powers that rests in the Dark Dragon Blade and shows no sign of curiosity regarding it not even after wielding the blade he doesn't appears to be corrupted by it. While he is silent and calculative he is also respectful to Murai and Muramasa when conversing with them, but also hot headed and impatient when he swears revenge towards Doku for the death of Kureha and his people and towards Rachel when she stalks him and tests him to see if he is strong enough to face the greater fiends. As a ninja Ryu is capable to find fast solutions to the most dangerous situations and despite being cold he appears to care more about others more than he lets them know, this is proven when he finds Ayane in the ruined village and several times when he rescues Rachel from the clutches of the fiends. However as the leader of the Hayabusa clan, Ryu's honor surpasess even his own desires. Since Kureha hold the Dragon's Eye in her death, Ryu never ment to use it to attain the full power of the Dragon Sword and instead choose to fight Doku by his own strength and kept the crest as a grave marker for Kureha, and it is not until he is in full need of it when he uses the stone to gain more power and defeat the evil forces, and even later when the fight is over he returns the stone to its owner. Apperance Ryu is a 21 years old young man although he has aged along the way of the DOA series aswell as in Ninja Gaiden, most of his costumes and attires depicts him concealing his face though on DOA sometimes his face is visible, wich reveals his young age, he has long brown hair strapped in a ponytail and his most distinctive feature are his green eyes wich have a particular golden hue, this feature is more prominent accompanied with his wardrobe composed of mostly dark colors something that points out even more his peculiar eyes and also gives him an intimidating apperance. As a ninja Ryu is in perfect physical condition though he has quite a muscular built, this does not render his outstanding speed and agility wich allows him to perform the most complex of aerial acrobatics and while being in such built he is so strong that he is capable of weilding the most enormous of weapons and still being able to perform amazingly fast swings. It could be considered that he's is able to maneuver in such a manner for the fact that he is a desendant of the Dragon Warriors, however Ryu doesn't appear to care much about his inherited super strength and only considers that he is strong for his training, as he explained to Rachel. Game history Ryu first appeared in the Ninja Gaiden beat 'em up arcade game in 1988. In that same year, Ninja Gaiden was released on the NES and the Sega Master System, though these versions, being more centered around platform-style gameplay, bore little resemblance to the original arcade game. Two NES sequels, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, followed in 1990 and 1991 to complete the trilogy. Also in 1991, Ninja Gaiden Shadow was released on the Game Boy. Ryu's next few appearances were as a playable fighter in the Dead or Alive series, which saw releases on the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms, as well as in arcades. There is no story to the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden, except that Ryu and an unnamed red ninja sidekick who serves as the second player were beating up their foes throughout America. Ryu's story commences in Ninja Gaiden for the NES, when he receives a letter from his father, who has departed to fight a life or death duel. Players are left to guess as the story progresses throughout the game, as the young Hayabusa goes on his quest for revenge and to uncover the truth behind his father's disappearance. This was followed by the next two games of the trilogy, which have mysterious introductions that unfolded in a similar manner. In ''Ninja Gaiden II, players are introduced to a new villain who wields the Dark Sword of Chaos. In Ninja Gaiden III, Ryu Hayabusa is framed for killing his girlfriend. Eventually, Ryu moved from Ninja Gaiden to Tecmo's Dead or Alive series. Taking place chronologically years after his exploits in the Ninja Gaiden series, he adopts a new, sleeker look. His story is fleshed out more, as a new ninja clan is introduced, several other supporting characters, and a new, serpentine plot that he finds himself intertwined in. He has been a participant in every DOA tournament, canonically winning the second tournament by killing Tengu. His cohorts have claimed the other contests. Finally, after the long wait, Ryu returned to Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox, in a 3D action game with new and original gameplay. The story deviates from the original NES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy by a few small changes, but is still connected to the Dead or Alive series. This game could almost fit as a prequel to the original trilogy. The prologue explains the Mythos of the Dragon Lineage who sided with the Dragons against the Evil Deities and the Tribes, and how they slew the Dark Dragon. The Dragons are described as god-like, benevolent creatures with metallic bones, teeth and claws, created by the Deity of Creation to counter the Evil Deities. The prologue includes a brief history of the two Dragon Swords. The first is the Dark Dragon Blade, carved out of the bone of the legendary Dark Dragon that betrayed his brethren out of jealousy and thirst for power, joining the Evil Deities. This blade consumes evil, charging as more evil is committed in its vicinity. As a result, the weapon turns its wielder into the devil incarnate. The second sword is the Dragon Sword, carved from the fang of the Dragon, and bequeathed the Dragon Lineage from generation to generation, and finally to Ryu Hayabusa. It is the same sword used by Ryu in the NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy. Ninja Gaiden Before Ninja Gaiden Ryu bears the name 'Hayabusa' when he graduated the Hayabusa School. He's the son of Ken Hayabusa (Jô Hayabusa in the Japanese version) and he's a member of his father's clan called the Hayabusa Ninja Clan. His mother was neither mentioned nor seen in any NG games. He has mastered everything he learned from his school, much to the delight of his father. He has earned the title 'Super Ninja'. Ninja Gaiden (Xbox) Set two years before the first DOA tournament Ryu is a young Hayabusa ninja taking care of the clan while his father is out training in the mountains. However, while he himself was visiting the Shadow Ninja Clan headed by his uncle, Murai, the Hayabusa clan comes under attack by the Greater Fiend Doku who was in search of the Dark Dragon Blade. Ryu arrives in time only to watch Kureha be cut down by Doku, and he himself is also cut down soon after. However he is resurrected by the clan’s animal spirit and embarks on a quest of vengeance against Doku in order to get the Dark Dragon Blade back. Learning that the fiends were from the Holy Vigoor Empire, Ryu, with assistance from the Mugen Tenshin ninja, Ayane and the renowned blacksmith, Muramasa, infiltrates the nation’s capital and starts a bloodbath of destruction throughout the city as he cuts down not only fiends but ninja of the Black Spider Ninja Clan, who also hoped to obtain the Dark Dragon Blade, and the nation’s military as well. During his rampage he encounters a fiend hunter named Rachel, who was also on a quest for vengeance against the fiends for what they had done to her sister, Alma. Eventually Ryu confronts Doku, this time defeating the spirit-warrior, however he is momentarily cursed by the fiend into turning into a fiend himself. In an effort to rid the curse he confronts the nation’s ruler, the evil god Vigoor, who was also then possessing the Dark Dragon Blade, and destroys him. It was only then revealed that the mastermind behind the entire affair was Murai himself, who sought the power of the fully awakened Dark Dragon Blade. Ryu was forced to kill his uncle and destroyed the blade in order to ensure peace to the world. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Six months after the Dark Dragon Blade Incident, Ryu is training his protege Momiji when the village is attacked by the Spider Ninja Clan. After learning that they were working for the Fiends, an ancient race of demons, and learning that Momiji was abducted, Ryu fights through hordes of hellish beasts in order to save his student. Eventually he faced the legendary Evil God known as the Dark Dragon and defeats it, returning home with Momiji safe and sound and continues her training. Ninja Gaiden II/ Sigma 2 (Xbox 360) Now one year after the Dark Dragon Blade Incident, Ryu is met by CIA agent Sonia, who warns him of an impending attack on the village by the Black Spider Ninja Clan. After learning that the Fiends plan to resurrect Vazdah, one of the Archfiends that his ancestors sealed away, the Super Ninja travels the world searching for the Demon Statue, an artifact that was stolen from his ancestral home, the Hayabusa Village. in his quest Ryu defeats many of the Vazdah Fiends, including the Four Greater Fiend Lords of the Vazdah Sect, Eventually he comes face to face with Genshin, the iron willed leader of the Spider Ninja and eventually defeats him in battle. Although too late to stop the Archfiend's resurrection, he succeeds in destroying the Evil God and pays his respects to Genshin, using the Ninja Overlord's Blade of the Archfiend as a grave marker in the Black Spider Graveyard at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Ninja Ryukenden (NES/SNES) Ryu received a letter from his father, Ken Hayabusa, that said he had a duel to the death with another ninja. Ryu then prepared a keepsake sword he'd gotten from his father, the Dragon Sword, and went in search of his father. During his adventure, he met up with Irene Lew and faced the man who dueled his father, Bloody Malth, before being reunited with his father. However, Ken was killed by Bloody Malth's master, the Jaquio. Ryu avenged his father's death by killing Jaquio and also the Demon God. Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos Ashtar, Jaquio's master and the Emperor of Darkness, had planned to rule the world with the power of the Demon. With the Demon dead, Ashtar kidnaps Irene to lure Ryu to his home dimension. Ashtar wields the Dark Sword of Chaos, made from the Bone of the Demon at the same time that the Dragon Sword was forged from the Fang of the Dragon. Ryu eventually confronts and defeats Ashtar, but before he can get Irene to safety, she is captured by Jaquio, who now bears the Dark Sword. Ryu confronts and defeats the Jaquio a second time at an altar made from the Demon's bones. However, the Jaquio's blood flows into the Dark Sword, awakening it. The Jaquio is revived by its power, and stabs Irene with the sword. Ryu slays the Jaquio again, but Irene's blood empowers the sword further, and revives the Demon. Ryu fights the Demon again in a battle similar to the one in Ninja Gaiden (NES). After Ryu kills the Demon again, the Dark Sword of Chaos shatters, and he carries Irene back to Earth, where she succumbs to her wounds and dies. Crying over her body, Ryu calls on the spirits of his ancestors, saying his victories are meaningless without her. The Dragon Sword then begins to hum and glow, emitting a blue light which flows into Irene, reviving her. The couple then watches the evening sunset (unlike the sunrise in the other two NES Ninja Gaiden games). Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom A Ryu doppelgänger assassinates Irene and frames the original for murder. During his quest to clear his name, Ryu discovers that Irene is still alive and that his doppelgänger was a BIO-NOID sent by Irene's old boss and former acquaintance of his, Foster. This was followed by an engagement with Ryu's doppelgänger which ended in Ryu's defeat. But in their second encounter, Ryu turns the tables, defeating his doppelgänger instead. But in a shocking turn-of-events, Foster is double-crossed by his accomplice, Clancy, who murders him. Clancy reveals the true nature of their location, the Castle Rock Fortress, as an inter-dimensional warship, which he intends to use for global dominance. With both Irene and himself caught up in Clancy's machinations, Ryu is forced to take action. Subsequently, Ryu foils Clancy's plans and flees the crumbling Castle Rock Fortress with Irene. Dead or Alive Before Dead or Alive Ryu had some adventures with his love interest Irene Lew and is a member of his father's clan, the Hayabusa Ninja Clan. He's also a good friend of the Mugen Tenshin ninja Hayate and became acquainted with his friend's clan. He's also acquainted with Hayate's sister Kasumi and half-sister Ayane. After the events of Ninja Gaiden for NES, as chronicled in the Ninja Gaiden OVA, he moved to America where he married Irene and bought an antique shop he ran with her. Dead or Alive One day, Ryu heard that Hayate's sister Kasumi has disappeared. He also heard that she joined the DOA Tournament so he joined the tournament as well in order to keep an eye on her. Dead or Alive 2 Ryu joined the 2nd DOA Tournament because he was informed by his own clan that a creature from another dimension named Tengu joined the tournament to create chaos in the world. Eventually, Ryu came across his lost friend Hayate (as Ein and was still suffering from a memory loss) and defeated him, restoring his memory back. Ryu then defeated Tengu to save the world from his evil plot, winning the 2nd DOA Tournament. Dead or Alive 3 Genra was captured by DOATEC and became a superhuman known as "Omega." In the tournament, Hayabusa defeats Hayate in a friendly match, who became the 18th leader of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan after recovering from a memory loss. In his CG ending, he receives a letter from an unknown ninja while he's fishing near the river. It is not known what is said on this letter but it might have something to do with the plans to attack DOATEC in DOA4 from Ayane and Hayate, whom would need his assistance. Dead or Alive 4 Ryu joins Hayate, Kasumi and Ayane to stop DOATEC. Ryu and Ayane come across with Christie, who is trying to stop the ninjas from destroying the DOATEC Tritower. In his CG ending, He destroys three DOATEC special aircraft, first by making it self destruct, second by a slash of his sword into two & the last with a ninpo attack (ninja magic) he produced from his palms before disappearing into the night. He produces another ninpo attack in Helena's CG ending onto a single chopper to destroy it and it could have Donovan inside of it. Moreover, Ryu appears in Kasumi's and Ayane's DOA4 story mode but not as an opponent. He's an opponent in Jann Lee's and Christie's DOA4 story mode (in Christie's story mode, she faces either Ryu or Ayane randomly). The Hayabusa Ninja Clan Ryu belongs to the Hayabusa ninja clan which was headed by Ryu's father, Joe Hayabusa. The Xbox series of NG, tells that the clan had been slain and defeated by Doku. The only known survivor of the Hayabusa clan is Ryu. There may have been several unmentioned survivors because the clan was rebuilt before Ninja Gaiden 2. In the Xbox version, they helped the Dragon Lineage and together, they sealed the Evil Deities. Several centuries later, they guarded the Dark Dragon Blade and made sure that is remained untouched. Unfortunately while Ryu and Murai were fighting, the Hayabusa Village was assaulted and the Hayabusa Clan was slain. The English translation of Hayabusa is "Peregrine Falcon" In Ninja Gaiden 2 For the Xbox 360 Joe and Ryu Hayabusa are the only known living members of the Hayabusa clan after the attack made by the Black spider clan and the Greater Fiend Elizabet. There may have been several unmentioned survivors by the end of the attack seeing that the complete destruction of the legendary Clan not once but twice seems unlikely. Ninja Styled Abilities Ryu Hayabusa is an extremely powerful ninja, hence his nickname, Super Ninja. He is a master sword fighter, archer and a master of virtually every type of weapon and form of martial arts, for that matter, his level of weapon mastery can be termed 'superhuman'. He is far stronger, faster, and durable than the average human, moves short distances so quickly that he leaves after-images, can drop immense heights without injury or death, and has displayed extreme skill in acrobatics. Ryu Hayabusa has the ability to climb or descend walls, rather than just cling on to them (in a previous game, this ability was limited only when Ryu was on a ladder). Another new ability Ryu has is the power to summon a double of himself or two by picking up the appropriate power-up. These body doubles will follow Ryu's movements and mimic his actions. In the Ninja Gaiden series, Ryu has a array of many powerful techniques. Ryu is able to make himself immune to everything while casting Ninpo, or performing an obliteration move on wounded opponents. He is the master of a technique known as the "Flying Swallow", a lightning fast attack that allows Ryu to cut through his foes. Also Ryu could transform into a falcon, the spiritual animal of the Hayabusas, making him able to travel anywhere around the world as seen at the end of Ninja Gaiden/Sigma. He is seen defeating enemies like the Holy Vigoor Emperor easily with his wide range of weapons. In Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, Ryu Hayabusa gaines powers and weapons of foes he has defeated. Such as the Fire weaponry of the Mantis Warrior, ability of flight from the Night Driver, command of water from the Great Kogane, and the command of earth from the Sandeater. Ryu has also gained the ability to assume the powers abilities and form of anyone he sees. He recieved this power from the doppelganger fiends. Other powers Ryu has gained are from the Leaders of the Greater Fiends. These include the Power of Resurrection from Marbus, the Power of Control from Doku, the power of summoning from Alma. Other powers he has gained are the powers of clairvoyance from Obaba, the power of Sealing from Nicchae, and the power of Destructive Invulnerability from Ishtaros. He has sealed these powers within his consciousness. Movie appearances DOA: Dead or Alive He is portrayed by Kane Kosugi in DOA: Dead or Alive where he performs a role similar to the games. He is shown as faithful friend to Kasumi and Hayate. His fights are against Eliot, and Bayman, both of whom are defeated. He is the only male character who makes it to the semi-finals (the others are Kasumi, Tina Armstrong and Christie). Ninja Gaiden OVA Ryu is the main character in the anime. After Irene is kidnapped, Ryu goes to save her. After killing many demons he faces Professor Bucky-Wise, the villain of the movie who becomes a demon himself, and kills him. He does not wear a ninja-mask in either film but wears a bandanna instead. Gameplay Ninja Gaiden Ryu can make several advance combos with almost every weapon. In Ninja Gaiden (Xbox), almost every weapon has some hidden combos that are not listed in the game, mostly on the Dragon Sword. Ryu is also good when it comes to projectile weapons. He can throw shurikens and incendiary shurikens even while in mid-air. Ryu's skill with firearms is unknown as he has only been seen using a spear gun. He can perform several powerful ninpo techniques as well. In Ninja Gaiden 2 (Xbox 360), he can now shoot arrows while in mid-air, dual-wield weapons and fight while on the top of water and while performing the Water Run Technique. Dead or Alive Ryu is generally considered a top-tier character, both due to canon and game play. His reaction, execution time, and throws are all above-average, making him a balanced character, and his mix-up game is excellent. Additionally, Hayabusa's Izuna-Otoshi combo throw is one of the most effective in the game, garnering an average 80 points of damage. His mix-ups and "surprise" (like his Asuka-Gaeshi) attacks keep many players guessing which angle or height he will strike from. '''Trivia *Ryu Hayabusa is a descendant of the Dragon Clan, an ancient race of warriors who carry the blood of the Dragons. *Friends and Allies with Ayane's clan the Mugen Tenshin. *In Ninja Gaiden and its other remakes, Ryu is 21 years old. In Dragon Sword and Ninja Gaiden II/ Sigma 2, he's 22 years old. *In Halo 3 as a way of saying thanks to team ninja for putting Nicole-458 in a DOA game.Bungie made the Hayabusa armor wich shares some resembalence to the ninja of the future alternate costume in Ninja gaiden. Category:Characters Category:Ninja Gaiden II Characters Hayabusa, Ryu Hayabusa, Ryu Category:Ninja Gaiden I Characters